Wheel plane Access to the Dick Proenneke cabin.

[CUBDRVR]

Does anyone have any good intel on if the Dick Proenneke cabin is wheel plane accessible. I have done the standard Google earth search of gravel bars on the headwaters and Chilikadratna river. The resolution is too poor to tell much.

[Monguse]

Google "Dick Proenneke cabin photos," "Chilikadrotna River photos," "Twin Lakes Alaska photos" for many pictures of the area.
The only airplane pictures in hundred's of photos are float planes. Wheel plane access to the area appears to be non-existent. The Twin Lakes beaches are very narrow and steep. I have flown into Twin Lakes many times in the past. Those beaches would be unusable for wheel planes and subject to wind driven waves that lay uneven tiers of beach rocks/pebbles. It can even get dicey on floats if the wind comes up. You might try contacting http://www.hollidayair.com/ and talk to Terry. He has flown that neck of the woods for 40 years and could give you some straight-from-the-horses-mouth information about the area.

[Troy Hamon]

Having flown around the area, I think you are looking at the only wheel option for a visit being on ice in the winter.

[BobG]

reading his journals he talks about a strip at the head of the lake that was used in years past (before the park service) by moose and sheep hunters. don't know if it's still usable....

[Troy Hamon]

Interesting. Had not been in as far as the head of the lake. Weather always seems a bit too sour to go poking up there when I manage to head that way.

[Fin Chaser]

reading his journals he talks about a strip at the head of the lake that was used in years past (before the park service) by moose and sheep hunters. don't know if it's still usable....

That's what I was thinking Bob. I remember reading him talk about a small strip up that way. Said there was a small group that once had to camp in their plane on the strip for several days due to bad weather (ended up shooting a bobcat for food). Though Google Earth doesn't have detail, Bing Maps does, but only the lower lake is in high res. No strip that I can see on the lower. If Holliday Air doesn't know, I'll bet Lake Clark Air does. Good luck.

[Monguse]

From: http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodw...ick-proenneke/

The following quote:
"In 1962, Dick made his first trip to Twin Lakes Alaska, part of what is now Lake Clark National Park, and lies 40 miles North of Lake Clark, 100 miles West of Kenai and about 350 miles West of Anchorage. This area is full on bush country, and only accessible by floatplane in summer, ski plane in winter."